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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · content · lean · cell · craft · kid · mug · sharp

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. sharp — clever
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cell — in biology
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. board — a committee
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mug — a face
  14. cell — a phone
  15. content — happy
  16. kid — to tease
  17. mug — a cup
  18. board — to get on
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. lean — thin
  21. kid — child
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. mug — to rob

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com